Scouting Rapport

Four years ago – when the Girl Scouts of Dublin got word that parent volunteer Liza Magee was diagnosed with leukemia – the group banded together to launch the Knitting Clinic.

The now-annual Knitting Clinic is a gathering of scouts, leaders and those with knitting knowledge, coming together to hone their trade and teach it to others.

“This is a lifelong skill,” says Carina Dacierno, troop leader, community service coordinator for the Dublin Service Unit and former Girl Scout. “It’s something you learn and use later, maybe for your own use or maybe for someone else. It’s a relaxing skill that isn’t taught that often anymore.”

Dublin Service Unit 893 encompasses all the Girl Scout troops, which number about 100, in the Dublin City Schools attendance area.

This year, the clinic falls on Make a Difference Day, Oct. 24, and lasts from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Dublin Community Recreation Center.

But this event is just preparation for the ultimate goal: a mass donation of hand-knit hats and scarves for cancer patients at the James Cancer Center in the first week of January.

“It’s a full-circle program,” Dacierno says. “They earn a patch in October and have until January to use their new skill to create a hat. These are then donated.”

Magee is cancer-free as of 2012, and the group has donated more than 300 items. As that number climbs each year, so does the number of people involved in the program – last year’s event brought in more than 220 participants – and so does the need for space.

“We keep getting larger and larger,” says Lisa Braun, Dublin Girl Scouts’ service unit manager. “The first year, we started out in an elementary school cafeteria, then moved to a middle school and now we’re in the rec center. We have gained additional teachers and new methods so everyone can get involved, all for increased awareness for leukemia.”

The first event was put together in less than two months, but still had a substantial turnout. Now, with the inclusion of an organizational committee made up of troop members, the Knitting Clinic thrives as one of the Dublin Girl Scouts’ five annual service unit projects.

All ages and skill levels are welcome to attend. Traditional needle methods will be reserved for the more experienced knitters, while loom and finger knitting will be explained to beginners.

“Even the Daisies (the kindergarten group) can do this, and if they don’t grasp it initially, they have plenty of time to learn,” Dacierno says.

The Dublin Girl Scouts are still looking for advanced knitters to help teach at the clinic. If interested, contact Carina Dacierno at girlscoutsofdublin@gmail.com or visit www.girlscoutsofdublin.com. Those who cannot attend but wish to donate a hat can do so until Jan. 3.

“This program is near and dear to my heart, so it’s great to see it become one of Dublin’s signature service projects,” Dacierno says. “These girls are learning a skill and giving back. If the Knitting Clinic can draw more awareness and raise more donations, that would be wonderful.”

Stephan Reed is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.